RAIL
North will not be held in 2018 due to scheduling
conflicts with our GRABAAWR tour.
We expect RAIL North to
return next season on Sun. June 16th, 2019
so mark your calendar today!

Major Previous RAIL North Specific Updates

In order to accommodate our new Bike
Wisconsin events, RAIL North will be held
on the Sunday on or before June 21st (the longest
day of the year) on a recurring basis. Click
Here for the dates of the future
RAIL North events.

The biggest benefit to riding on
Sunday will be much less stress since
you will have more time on Saturday
to travel to the start of the event
and prepare for the ride. You won’t
have to rush after work on Friday
or attend our opening meeting so
early at 4:30 am on Saturday before
what is already an incredibly long
day. People who normally work on
Saturdays will also have the opportunity
to participate now.

The biggest drawback to riding
on Sunday is that you will have much
less time to rest and recover from
the ride before work/school on Monday.
Also our transportation service after
the end of the event that will now
occur on Monday instead of Sunday.

The supported bike shop in Moline has changed
and all related information has been updated. Click
Here for more information.

Our main transportation staging point in
Chicago before the start of the event
is now directly at the bike shop which is also
the
ending
location of the event.

If you are planning
on having your bike boxed and
shipped to the start and/or from the end
of the
event, you will be able to pick it up and/or
drop
it off directly there yourself.
As a result we will no longer need to offer
bicycle shipment
pick up and delivery service
in Chicago
and all registration forms have been
updated. Click
Here for more information
about the bike shop and Click
Here for more information
about our transportation service
from Chicago to
Moline before the start of the event.

Based on participant feedback we will not
longer be riding on Galena Ave. in Aurora.
All related route information has been
updated.

A supported lunch stop will be available directly
on the route at the Subway restaurant in Hinckley,
only 0.5 miles after rest stop 3. Click
Here for more information.

The ending location in Chicago is now at the
Live Grit triathlon shop. Click
Here for more information.

The route opening and closing times will be "around" sunrise & sunset
at 5:30 am CDT and 8:30 pm CDT (9:30 pm EDT)
for year after year consistency purposes and
to make the route opening and closing times easier
to remember for participants on the road.

Ice cream stores have been added to list of
in town facilities for all stopping towns!

The regular registration deadline will now
be three weeks before the start of the event
to at least be the same as (if not after) the
cut-off date for our room block at our supported
hotel in Moline.

A personalized Certificate of Completion will
no longer be available.

Late registration will only be available online
and not through paper registration.

Information has been added about Return Metra
train service to downtown Chicago from Aurora
and Glen Ellyn. Click
Here for more information.

Rest stop 3 is now in Hinckley and the route
into and out of Hinckley primarily follows county
back roads.

The route now directly follows the Great River
Trail immediately out of the supported hotel
in Moline.

We now allow trikes (any bicycle with three
or more wheels) to participate in our events.
However, all participants riding trikes must
provide their own on road support for them at
all times because we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to easily or quickly transport them
off the road in any support vehicle in case of
mechanical breakdown. In addition, we still cannot
accomodate any trikes on any of our transportation
services. Click
Here for more information.

As part of registration you can now specify
whether you would you like us to give you your
t-shirt and any other merchandise items at the
starting or ending location. No more worrying
about where to put your new stuff during the
ride!